Deputies say the suspects followed the bus before gunfire broke out near Brownfields and Cooper drives.
BATON ROUGE, LA — Three young relatives were arrested after a Northeast High School student was shot Tuesday afternoon while getting off a school bus in East Baton Rouge Parish, sheriff’s officials said.
The shooting brought a police response to the Brownfields area shortly before 3 p.m. May 5 and left the student with injuries officials described as not life-threatening. Deputies identified the suspects as Xavier Williams, 18; Kriston Williams, 18; and Cameron Williams, 19. All three face attempted second-degree murder charges in a case that has raised questions about school bus safety, neighborhood gunfire and a prior court order involving one suspect.
Deputies said the shooting happened near Brownfields Drive and Cooper Drive after a vehicle followed the school bus carrying the victim. Arrest documents said Cameron Williams drove Xavier Williams and Kriston Williams to the area with the intent to confront a group of people. The documents said all three knew what was expected to happen as they followed the bus. After the student got off, deputies said Xavier Williams got out of the vehicle and opened fire toward the victim. Floyd Jackson, a resident who said he was outside at the time, said he heard several shots and took cover behind his car. “This is senseless. These are kids!” Jackson said after the shooting.
The victim, whose name and age had not been released, was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge with a police escort. Officials said he suffered one gunshot wound and was in stable condition. Neighbors said the shooting startled a normally quiet residential area near the corner where the bus had stopped. Jackson said he had stepped outside to put out a trash can when he heard gunfire. Moments later, he said, he heard a woman screaming that the victim was her son. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System said the shooting was an off-campus incident involving one of its students and said law enforcement was investigating.
Deputies said they found the suspects soon after the shooting while canvassing the area. Witness information and the description of the suspect vehicle helped deputies locate it nearby. The sheriff’s office said deputies stopped the vehicle and detained the driver and two passengers. Arrest records said deputies saw several guns inside the vehicle and that part of a firearm fell out when one of the suspects got out. The records did not say whether every gun recovered had been tested or whether investigators had identified which weapon fired the shot that hit the student. The number of shots fired and the exact distance between the shooter and the victim also remained unclear.
Xavier Williams was booked on attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, officials said. Cameron Williams and Kriston Williams were booked as principals to attempted second-degree murder. Court information reported after the arrests showed Commissioner Nicole Robinson set bond for Cameron Williams and Kriston Williams at $100,000 each. Xavier Williams remained on a prison hold after Commissioner Kory Tauzin, who had handled an earlier matter involving him, learned of the new charges. It was not immediately clear from available court information whether the three had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
The case drew added attention because Xavier Williams had been released from jail days earlier in a separate case. Court records showed he was arrested April 29 by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force on allegations tied to aggravated assault of a dating partner. Records said deputies had responded to a Baker home after a report of shots fired on April 23. Xavier Williams bonded out of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on May 1 and was placed on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor. His bond conditions barred him from possessing or buying a firearm while that order was in effect, according to court paperwork.
The shooting happened in a part of Baton Rouge where residents said children often get off buses in the afternoon and walk short distances home. School district officials did not release the student’s grade level or say how many students were on the bus when the gunfire erupted. They said the safety and well-being of students and staff remained their highest priority. The district did not identify any changes to bus routes or dismissal procedures after the shooting. Investigators also had not publicly described a motive beyond the allegation in arrest documents that the suspects went to the area to confront or jump a group of people.
East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member Anthony Kenney, who represents the area, said the violence could not be accepted in a neighborhood where families expect children to get home safely from school. Neighbors echoed that concern as deputies processed the scene and the school bus stop became the center of an investigation. Jackson described the gunfire as sudden and frightening. “This is a quiet, peaceful neighborhood,” he said, adding that residents did not expect to see violence unfold as students were leaving a bus. The shooting left parents and neighbors waiting for more answers about how the confrontation began and whether anyone else was targeted.
The investigation remained active Friday, with the three suspects in custody and the injured student expected to survive. The next steps are expected in East Baton Rouge Parish court, where prosecutors will review the arrests and the bond status of each suspect.
Author note: Last updated May 8, 2026.